Broken Promises and Shattered Hearts Ch. 11
Disclaimer. See chapter one
Author's Note: Please remember I have no medical knowledge and forgive any errors in treatment or symptoms.
Previously: Glancing into the back seat, Bobby could see Dean whispering words of encouragement meant only for Sammy's ears as he continuously stroked his hands through Sam's hair. Swiping his fingers through his beard, Bobby prayed that Sam would survive the journey to Jefferson's place because one thing was for sure….the youngest Winchester was the glue that bound the small family together and without him, the family would not survive.
Cruising down the highway at a quick rate of speed, Bobby surreptitiously glanced over at John who was watching his sons from the passenger seat and couldn't help but feel sorry for the anguished hunter. It was evident by the look on John's face that the man was carrying a huge load of guilt for the events that had come to pass and he wished he could say something to make the hunter feel better. He knew John loved his sons, even if he was gruff with them at times, acting like their drill sergeant instead of their father.
"Sam's gonna be alright John. We'll get him to Jefferson and he'll make sure the boy is okay," Bobby stated, swiping a calloused hand across his beard covered jaw, all the while silently praying that he wasn't lying to the man who had become a good friend to him.
"I hope you're right Bobby, because I don't know if this family could survive without him," John replied, keeping his gaze focused solely on Sam. His youngest was starting to sweat profusely and his breathing was becoming more and more labored with each passing minute and it scared the hell out of him.
"How much longer before we get there Bobby?" Dean queried, interrupting the conversation from the backseat as he cradled his baby brother's head in his lap while constantly carding his fingers through Sam's honey brown locks with one hand while resting the other on his sibling's chest to monitor his breathing. He didn't like the way Sam was restless and struggling for breath, even in unconsciousness.
"Not too much longer," Bobby answered solemnly, locking eyes with Dean through the rearview mirror. "How's he doing Ace?"
"Not to good. I can feel his heart racing in his chest," Dean answered, as he started to rub circles with his hand on Sam's chest in hopes of calming him. It was a method he had always used to calm Sammy when he was younger and it worked nearly every time. Of course, he could only hope that Sam could somehow sense what he was doing now.
"Just try to keep him calm as best you can," Bobby stated, pressing the gas pedal just a little bit harder. They needed to get Sammy to the doctor and get him there quick.
~~SUPERNATURAL~~
Pulling into the long, winding driveway that led up to Jefferson's clinic approximately twenty minutes later, Bobby parked right in front of the small clinic and threw open his door. Rushing into the medical establishment, he called out, "Hey, I need some help out here," in a loud booming voice hoping to capture someone's attention.
Recognizing the voice of the gruff hunter immediately, Jefferson quickly stood up from behind his desk and exited his office to see his friend walking back out the clinic doors. "What the hell?" Jefferson questioned to himself, rushing toward the clinic entrance as he motioned for a couple of orderlies to grab a gurney and follow him, along the way. He knew something bad must have happened with the way Bobby was acting.
Racing outside, Jefferson was surprised to see not only Bobby, but the Winchesters also which gave him immediate cause for concern. John only came around when he or one of his kids was in dire need of medical attention. Watching as Bobby bent down and reached into the back seat of the Impala while John leaned precariously against the sleek black muscle car, Jefferson hissed knowing that one or both of John's children most likely had been injured.
"John, what the hell happened here?" Jefferson inquired as he took a moment to assess the shaky hunter, taking note of the bruises around his throat and the way his eyes looked a little glassy.
"M'okay, it's my son you need to help," John groaned in a gravelly sounding voice as he raised a hand to his sore throat.
Knowing how stubborn John was and that he would refuse medical attention until his boys were taken care of, Jefferson knelt down beside Bobby Singer. "Bobby, give me the 411...what happened here?" Jefferson asked as he took in the scene in front of him.
"I don't have time to go into all the details now. You just need to know John's youngest was drugged and he's in a real bad way," Bobby answered as he eased Sam away from his big brother and hefted the nearly fourteen year old teen into his arms before turning around and placing Sam on the gurney that the orderlies had just arrived with. "And you also need to know that Sam had a seizure earlier that lasted for at least a couple of minutes or so."
"Damn it to hell, that's not good. Do you have any idea of what was used?" Jefferson asked, pulling the stethoscope from around his neck and placing it on the teen's bare chest so that he could listen to his heart and lungs.
"No, just that it was some kind of designer drug cocktail," Bobby answered, while helping Dean out of the car.
"Damn it, the kid is having heart palpitations, let's get him inside stat," Jefferson swore as he immediately started pushing the gurney towards the clinic doors.
"Bobby, what's that mean?" Dean voiced shakily as the three hunters followed behind the portable hospital bed, everyone moving as quickly as possible.
"It means that Sam has an irregular or forceful beating of the heart," Bobby answered as they entered through the door of the clinic. Following behind Jefferson as he and the orderlies transported Sam down the sterile hallway smelling of antiseptic, Bobby and the Winchesters could only pray that they had gotten Sam to the clinic in time.
Arriving at a treatment room just moments later, Jefferson and the orderlies quickly transferred Sam from the gurney to the small bed in the room as John, Dean, and Bobby stood off to the side where they would be out of the way. Calling out orders to the others in the room, Jefferson began to strip the shoes and jeans off his young patient so he could check for other injuries as well as needle tracks. "Alison, I need you to get an IV, D5W with Lactated Ringers started right away. This kid is losing way too much fluid with the profuse sweating he is exhibiting and we need to replenish his electrolytes. Lisa, I need you to get him started on oxygen and then draw some blood and have it taken to the lab. We need to find out right away exactly what kind of drugs he was given."
"Yes Doctor, the nurses answered as they set about doing their jobs. They hated it when they got in patient as young as this one who was facing a life threatening crisis.
Beginning his visual assessment of the youngest Winchester, Jefferson hissed upon seeing the visible bruising on Sam's neck indicating that he had been strangled at some point in time. Placing his hands softly on Sam's neck, he began to gently palpitate the area to check for signs of swelling. He knew that with even little to moderate swelling, the blood flow in the veins of the neck could be interrupted thereby causing death for his young patient within thirty six hours. Continuing on with his assessment as he moved from head to toe, Jefferson couldn't help but notice the handprint bruises on Sam's arms and some deep bruising on his legs, especially around the thigh area which gave him pause to think and he definitely didn't like where his mind was leading him. Taking a deep breath, he asked the dreaded question "John, is there any chance at all that Sam might have been raped?"
"Please, God, no Dean stammered anxiously, the thought having never entered his mind that something so vile could have happened to his baby brother.
"No, I do-don't think so, but I'm not one hundred percent su-sure," John answered truthfully, swallowing back the bile that was trying to rise in his throat at the thought of his child having been sexually molested.
"Okay, I'll run a rape kit just to be on the safe side then," Jefferson replied, attaching the leads of a heart monitor to Sam's chest. He needed to keep a close eye on Sam's irregular heart arrhythmia until his heart beat regulated itself to a natural rhythm once again.
"Hey Jefferson, just what can we expect as Sam goes through withdrawal from whatever it was that that bastard shot him up with?" Bobby asked as he watched the doctor check the status display of the heart monitor after he had it hooked up to make sure it was working properly.
"Well Bobby, I can't really say until we get the blood work back because it basically depends on what Sam was given. If he was given an opiate cocktail, it will cause him to go through what is referred to as a physical withdrawal. But if he was given something like cocaine or ecstasy, then it will be more of an emotional withdrawal from the drug," Jefferson answered as he tugged a hand through his slightly graying hair. "But based on what I am seeing so far with the heart palpitations and breathing difficulties as well as the seizure you said he had earlier, I would say that Sam is now going through a significant physical withdrawal. Don't get me wrong, chances are he will also go through an emotional withdrawal much later."
"But he is out of da-danger right?" Dean asked, his concern for his brother skyrocketing as he listened to the words that Jefferson said to Bobby.
"I wish I could say yes Dean, but I just don't know. There is a small chance that Sam could suffer a stroke or heart attack as he goes through withdrawal from the stress it puts on his body and heart. Either way, Sam is definitely in for an extremely uncomfortable recovery." Jefferson answered as gently as possible
TBC I'm not sure about the flow of this chapter. My mind was kind of addled with having my father in the hospital for the past few days. But hopefully you'll enjoy it anyway. I am working on an update to The Pain Within also, so hopefully that one will be up within the next couple of days.